New Delhi: National Green Tribunal expressed concern over the continued use of groundwater by major cricket stadiums across the country, despite the availability of treated sewage water. NGT also imposed a penalty of Rs 5,000 each on 12 cricket stadiums, including Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi, for failing to comply with its previous direction and submit a report to Central Ground Water Authority (CGWA).The tribunal earlier asked several cricket stadiums and associations to disclose the amount of groundwater used to irrigate the cricket ground and their plans to use treated water.Based on a consolidated report submitted by CGWA, NGT noted that several prominent cricket stadiums were still extracting large quantities of groundwater for the irrigation of pitches and green belts.A bench headed by NGT chairperson Justice Prakash Shrivastava, in an order dated Jan 22, noted that IS Bindra Stadium, Mohali, operated by Punjab Cricket Association, was specifically pulled up for using approximately 6,000 kilolitres per month of groundwater, despite the availability of secondary and tertiary treated water from nearby STPs.Rejecting the plea that treated water was unavailable, NGT observed that such conduct reflected reluctance to comply with environmental norms and posed a serious threat to groundwater sustainability.The tribunal also noted that stadiums at Nagpur, Kolkata (Eden Gardens), Lahli (Haryana), Thiruvananthapuram (Kerala) and Guwahati continued to use groundwater. These associations were granted six weeks to submit explanations and disclose steps taken to eliminate or reduce groundwater usage.A cost of Rs 5,000 each was imposed on 12 cricket associations, including those managing stadiums at Delhi, Pune, Jaipur, Hyderabad, Kanpur, Lucknow, Indore, Dharamsala, Rajkot, Raipur, Cuttack and Mumbai, for failing to submit compliance reports despite repeated directions. The amount is to be deposited with the secretary of NGT Bar Association within two weeks.For the stadiums that had already submitted details of the use of groundwater and treated water, and the status of rainwater harvesting systems, the tribunal sought more details, including the steps taken to avoid the use of groundwater for irrigating the cricket ground.
